The Bottom Line

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The Bottom Line
Song	The Bottom Line
By	Depeche Mode
Songwriter	Martin L. Gore
Produced by	Depeche Mode Tim Simenon
Recorded at	Abbey Road Eastcote Westside Strongroom RAK (London) Electric Lady (New York City) Larrabee West (Los Angeles)
Length (mm:ss)	4:26
Tempo	134 BPM
Time signature	4 4
Key	D♭ Major
Programmed by	Kerry Hopwood
Engineered by	Q
Engineering assistance	Paul Hicks Guy Massey Lee Fitzgerald Tom Rixton Gary Forde Lee Phillips Jamie Campbell Jim Greg Audie Chamberlain Robbie Kazandjian
Mixed by	Tim Simenon Q
Mastered by	Mike Marsh
Keyboards	Dave Clayton
Pedal steel guitar	B. J. Cole
Vocal coach	Evelyn Halus
Art direction	Anton Corbijn
Colour prints	Brian Dowling
Sleeve design	Area
Recorded	January 1996 – February 1997
Originally released	14 April 1997
Live performances as Depeche Mode	22 times *
Total live performances	22 times *

"The Bottom Line" is a song from the 1997 album Ultra by Depeche Mode.

Notes

English session and solo musician B. J. Cole performed the guitar part on this track. Martin Gore commented on this in an interview in the "Ultra Sounds" article for Guitar World magazine in 1997:

That's not me! I think pedal steel is one of the most difficult instruments to learn. I wouldn't even try. No, we got in one of the best pedal steel players in England to do that. Somebody called B. J. Coles [sic]. He's really good. An experimental pedal steel player as well. He doesn't only do country. You're very pigeonholed if you're a pedal steel player. But he's actually done an avant garde pedal steel album. I think he’s pretty open-minded.

Lyrics

The Bottom Line

Like a cat dragged in from the rain

Who goes straight back out

To do it all over again

I'll be back for more

It's something that is out of our hands

Something we will never understand

It's a hidden law

The apple falls

Destiny calls

I follow you

Like a pawn on the eternal board

Who's never quite sure

What he's moved towards

I walk blindly on

And heaven is in front of me

Your heaven beckons me enticingly

When I arrive, it's gone

The river flows

The wise man knows

I follow you

I'm yearning

I'm burning

I feel love's wheels turning

Like a moth on love's bright light

I will get burned each and every night

I'm dying to(o)

The sun will shine

The bottom line

I follow you

Songwriter: Martin L. Gore
Publishing Information: ©1997 Grabbing Hands Music Ltd/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.

Live performances

Main article: Available recordings of "The Bottom Line"

Main article: List of dates where "The Bottom Line" was played